March 5, Tuesday Lenten Weekday

A smoker’s lungs caked with black tar. That’s all I could think about as I sat in the church parking lot, gathering up the nerve to make my first confession. Surely, after 30 years of sin buildup, that’s what my soul would look like.

I was afraid the priest would be harsh or condescending but, in the confessional, when my tears began to fall, he urged me to be gentle with myself. Together, we imagined a blackboard where all my sins had been written down. Then we pictured a hand, wiping every last one of them away. It was the hand of Christ. Finally, we could see Jesus himself. He was smiling at me, and telling me He loved me. That day, I received a beautiful gift — the gift of God’s mercy. And now, I could finally forgive myself.

Prayer: Gracious God, I long for Your mercy to wash over me, cleansing my soul.